Prez-ploitation

For several months, a single Fall Creek Parkway billboard caught my eye. There it stood, juxtaposed against a backdrop of power lines and low-income housing. An all too familiar-looking silhouette adorned the rectangular canvas. The shadowy figure raised a single thumb in a Bill Clinton-esque salute. Without a doubt, the advertisement depicted our nation's first African-American president. At first glance, it looked like just another campaign endorsement. Even the caption echoed campaign rhetoric. It read: "Change you can believe in." Nothing strange or off-putting about that slogan, right? Wrong. Immediately to the right of the caption appeared the logo for Indiana Live! Casino. That's right...it was an ad for an Indiana casino. Apparently, President Obama's message of hope and change resonated not only in the ears of registered voters but also in the marketing department of Indiana Live! Casino.

Fast forward to last night when Mr. Gaz formally posted the guidelines for Blog Off Challenge 2K9. Knowing that I needed to start the competition off with a bang, I immediately thought of the Fall Creek Parkway billboard. I had it all planned out. After work, I would pick up some groceries at Trader Joe's, and on my way home, I would stop by the billboard and take a photo. The subsequent blog entry would pretty much write itself.

At 7pm this evening, my worst fear came true. The casino advertisement was gone...gone like N*Sync. With twilight approaching, I became desperate. I drove back to my apartment and jumped out of my car to unload the groceries. A Steel Reserve can laid crushed upon the pavement. By this point, I was in full out panic mode. For a moment, I even considered writing an entire blog entry about the demise and destruction of the beer can. I had to think of something fast.

Once inside my apartment, I channeled my mind bullets and looked for a suitable target. Praise be to Allah that I have a pet rabbit named Theodore "Ted" Bunny. I perched that little guy on the windowsill, and voila, I had an end to my story.